Mild earthquake hits Ghizer district in Gilgit-Baltistan

Authorities advise residents to stay calm, saying minor quake poses no threat to life, infrastructure

A mild earthquake was recorded in the Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan on Saturday morning, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

The PMD reported that the tremor originated at 10:22am PST, with a magnitude of 3.1 on the Richter scale. The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 11 kilometers, centered at latitude 36.09° North and longitude 73.51° East, in the Ghizer region of northern Pakistan.

Despite the seismic activity, the PMD stated that no tremors were felt in nearby areas, and there have been no reports of damage or casualties.

Northern Pakistan, particularly the Gilgit-Baltistan and Hindu Kush regions, lies in an active seismic zone where low to moderate-intensity earthquakes occur frequently due to the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Authorities have advised residents to remain calm, noting that the quake was minor and posed no threat to life or infrastructure.

Earlier on Friday, strong tremors were felt in various parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the federal capital, causing panic among residents who rushed out of their homes and offices.

According to the Seismological Centre, the earthquake measured 5.6 on the Richter scale and originated at a depth of 120 kilometres in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan.

The tremors were felt across Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and several districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including Peshawar, Malakand Division, Buner, Batkhela, Swat, Kohistan, Abbottabad, and Chitral.

The PMD confirmed that no immediate reports of casualties or property damage have been received. Authorities said monitoring teams are assessing the situation in the affected areas.

Residents described the tremors as “strong but brief,” and emergency services were placed on alert as a precautionary measure.

Read: Earthquake tremors felt in Karachi’s Malir

Last month, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake was felt in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Buner District, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. Despite the tremors being widely felt across the district, no casualties or property damage were reported.

The epicentre was located in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region at a depth of 195 kilometres, according to the report issued by PMD. Tremors were felt in Chitral, Peshawar, and Swat.